For many food products, the mouth-feel or texture perceived by the consumer is a critical factor. These properties are often found lacking in the case of food products which have been modified so as to remove certain conventional components thereof in an effort, for example, to lower the sugar or fat content of the resultant product.
For example, yogurt is conventionally a cultured milk product produced by fermenting sources of butterfat, such as milk, skim milk, cream, nonfat milk solids and the like in liquid or powder form with a yogurt culture producing lactic acid. Much of the texture, body and mouth-feel of the yogurt product is a consequence of the level of butterfat used in the fermentation, with higher butterfat sources producing the most desirable products. Thus, as efforts have been made to produce lower calorie yogurt derived from lower butterfat sources, various attempts have been made to improve the mouth-feel and texture thereof.
Similar needs are encountered in the production of other low fat foods such as reduced calorie spoonable salad dressings, sour cream, frozen desserts and the like. Further, the substitution of aspartame or other artificial sweeteners for sugar in marinades, dry mixes and beverages has also provided a need for an additive to improve the mouth-feel or "texture" of the final product.
In addition to the need in the industry to improve the mouth feel or texture of certain food products, there is a concurrent need to do so without the use of chemical modifiers or other additives which might either require regulatory approval or revision of the natural labelling status of the product.